Chef Yves Bainier has cooked at Le Dome restaurant in Los Angeles, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Sydney, Australia, and The Loews Hotel in Santa Monica, Calif., before mo...

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About the chef

Chef Yves Bainier has cooked at Le Dome restaurant in Los Angeles, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Sydney, Australia, and The Loews Hotel in Santa Monica, Calif., before moving to Massachusetts to be closer to his wife's family. He now works around the world as a personal chef and operates the YvesB frozen soufflé business. Learn more at his website: www.chefyvesb.com

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Search the term "souffle for Valentine's Day" on the Internet and nearly one million mentions pop up. Obviously the "puffed up" creation that food historians date back to 18th-century France still holds appeal for romantics worldwide.

So, with the holiday of hearts and flowers just two weeks away, we turned to a local expert, Chef Yves Bainier of Osterville, for help in making the dark chocolate and egg white concoction that rises to an airy — and heavenly — delight.

If you've never eaten chocolate soufflé, consider the experience: It looks like cake batter when it goes in the oven, but it comes out puffed up four inches above the rim; the top is delicately crisped.

The serving spoon glides through the lightly solid top to layers of rich chocolate that are progressively softer until you reach the still-molten bottom. The spoon's journey through all of these textures is accompanied by the shimmering scent of chocolate-laden steam being released. Breathing it is like inhaling chocolate.

"Chocolate souffle is especially popular for Valentine's Day," Bainier says, his native French accent making the 'ch' into a softer sound and filling the word souffle with airiness reminiscent of the dessert itself.

Mark Curley, property manager for businessman and sailor William Koch, says Bainier often works as a personal chef at Koch's Cape home, cooking a variety of meals, including vegan and gluten-free dishes.

"We had the chocolate souffle with Four Seas chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream," Curley recalls appreciatively. "Luckily, we don't have them (souffles) more often or I'd be heavier than I am."

Many chefs and home cooks make souffle, but Bainier's life has encompassed more than his share. Born in 1963 in a suburb of Paris, he grew up on France's Atlantic coast and was, by age 15, working in his cousin's restaurant on the L'Ile de Re. One night, when the restaurant was swamped, his cousin handed him a battered copper bowl and a whisk and said, "Tonight, you make the souffle."

"There was none of this," Bainier says, sweeping a hand towards the professional mixer, waiting on his kitchen shelf to whip egg whites into the perfect firm, but not hard, stage.

Although he started with a whisk, Bainier doesn't recommend that approach: It would take at least four minutes of brisk whisking with no breaks to beat in the air that turns clear liquid egg whites into the silky white foam required. Two people spelling each other or a chef trained in whisk technique could handle it, but it takes practice.

Not to worry. You don't need a $500 stand mixer; a $10 hand mixer will do the job as well.

Making a souffle is easy, but it does use some techniques that beginning cooks may not know.

Timing is critical. This is a particularly good recipe with which to use the French mis en place technique of having all ingredients measured and all equipment laid out before you start.

(You could cheat, by buying a $5.99 box of the frozen souffle Bainier sells at Whole Foods Market, a few Cape markets and on his website, www.chefyvesb.com. Those come in sweet and savory flavors, and need only be popped in the oven. The idea came to Bainier when he was working at Le Dome Restaurant in California: The Bainiers entertained a lot and friends often requested souffle, which kept the chef in the kitchen. The flash-frozen product freed him to visit.)

One afternoon earlier this month, Bainier demonstrated how to whip together a chocolate souffle from scratch, peppering his instructions with tips from years of souffle-making.

You start by taking the eggs out of the refrigerator — and separating them into yolks and whites — an hour before making the souffle. "The best temperature is 70 degrees," Bainier says of the eggs, adding, "Older egg whites foam better than fresh ones."

Bainier says he freezes egg whites left over when he needs a yolk for some other recipe. The defrosted whites work well for souffles.

The chef coats ramekins with melted butter and drops in a tablespoon of sugar, tapping the pan until it is fully coated with sugar and then tipping the extra into the next ramekin, much like flouring a cake pan.

On the stove, chocolate and butter have been melted in a stainless steel bowl placed atop a pot of simmering water. Bainier cools the mixture for a minute before whisking in two egg yolks.

Whipping egg whites should begin as soon as the chocolate comes off the stove.

"If you add a tiny bit of salt to the egg whites, it helps with the rising," Bainier advises. "The egg white needs to be whipped to a soft peak. About half-way into the whipping, add sugar "» It should definitely not be overmixed. That's the death of the souffle."

Whisk a spoon of whipped egg white into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest. To do that, put the egg whites in the middle of the chocolate mixture and gently lift spoonfuls of chocolate over the whites. Folding keeps the air in the egg whites so the souffle can rise.

Fill the ramekins to the rim with batter and bake in a pre-heated 300-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

There is a widespread belief that cooks must tiptoe around a baking souffle, but Bainier's house is a hive of activity as he cooks. His wife, Gwen Bainier, is giving voice lessons in a room next door. Strains of the ever-hopeful "Tomorrow," from the musical "Annie," waft into the kitchen and mix with the burgeoning scent of high-quality chocolate. The Bainiers' 7-year-old son, Alexander, pops in for a visit.

Moderate activity is fine so long as you resist the urge to peek in, Bainier warns, because the souffle needs a steady temperature. It's all about temperature, so plan to serve the souffle right from the oven. As it cools, air will escape and the souffle will fall, so eat it while it's hot.

Using the pastry brush, prep the ramekins by brushing the inside with a thin coat of melted butter. Then add the sugar, moving it around the mold until the entire inside is coated. Remove all excess.

Do not touch the inside because it will prevent the souffle from rising.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In a double boiler, place a medium-size stainless steel bowl with the chocolate and butter until melted. Let it cool off for a minute, then add the egg yolks.

Whip the egg whites until firm, but not too stiff. Then add 5 tablespoons of the sugar until the egg whites stiffen. You should begin whipping the egg whites as soon as the chocolate mix is removed from the double boiler.

Whisk a spoon of whipped egg whites into the chocolate bowl, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites with a spatula that has a soft end.

Fill the souffle molds to the top, clean the edges, and place in oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve immediately when ready; the souffle will deflate quickly after being removed from the oven.